My Only Hope
by Chimchar458
Summary: Follow the adventures of a spoiled Charmander as she runs away from it all, befriends a easily startled Riolu, and starts a new life in Treasure Town.  Rated T for a little bit of romance, and some violence.
1. Prologue

As a kid, I was spoiled. I always got what I wanted; my parents never said no. They thought that by giving me whatever I wanted they could get away with not paying any attention to me. Their thoughts teemed with "Oh, she'll be too busy with her toys to notice."

My parents had jobs; they were busy just like any other pokemon. During their workdays, I was left all alone in my room, with absolutely nothing to do. Nobody to spend time with, nothing. I wasn't allowed outside to play with the other pokemon; my parents didn't want to be responsible for what could happen to me while they were gone.  
You'd think I'd be occupied with all of my stuff, right? Wrong. I'm sick of this garbage! You'd be sad too, after twelve long, unhappy years.

One day, an idea popped into my head. It was a fragile idea, but it was better than staying here. Anything is better than here. I overheard a messenger tell my parents there was a place not too far away from here called Wigglytuff's guild. And, they were looking for new recruits. _Perfect_.

I could live there, maybe make a friend or two, and go on some rescue missions. However, there were some big holes in my plan. For one, you need a team to join the guild beforehand, _and _I didn't even know where the place was! Plus, I needed a place to stay before I joined. How was I ever going to get out of this hole?

I decided I'd solve those problems when they arose, and began getting ready for my journey. I didn't have any food or water; my parents had everything locked up before they left for work. I just had to hope supplies would be available before I starved to death.

After I was ready to go, I set off. It was pouring rain and I could hear thunder, but at least it would cover my trail. After running in circles for what seemed like an eternity, the sun started to sink below the horizon. I found myself standing on a beach, and I could see a Sharpedo-shaped cliff in the distance.

I had to get in there quickly; my tail flame was starting to burn out. The cliff looked hollow inside; perhaps I could stay there for a while. That was a sound plan for now, but how would I get up there?


	2. Chapter 1

_I could try climbing up the cliff, but it's probably slippery and muddy due to the rain. I'll give it a shot, but I need to hurry; time is running out!_

I ran over to the cliff, careful not to slip on the wet sand. It was a very steep cliff, made of brown rock and dirt.

_My claws are pretty sharp; maybe I can get a hold of the cliff._

I tried to grab onto a ledge, but my paws only grasped dirt. I frantically tried to claw my way up the cliff, but I just ended up sliding back down to the ground.

_Dang it, this will never work! There's got to be some way to get into that cliff! Maybe I should look around, there may be other passages._

Suddenly, I noticed a path that led up and around the cliff. It seemed safe; the ground was sturdy when I tested it. I quickly sprinted up the path, coming to a three way intersection.

_Where do I go!_

I searched around for a sign or picture, and found a large wooden post that had several planks attached to it. There were three planks attached to the it, each pointing in the direction their pathways led. The one on top, pointing forward, read: "Wigglytuff's Guild". The plank below pointing to the left read: "Treasure Town" and the one below that, pointing to the right read: "To Dungeons".

_At least I found Wigglytuff's Guild. I guess the cliff would be past Treasure Town; that's in the direction where I found it. There better not be any pokemon lurking in Treasure Town...although, it's pretty dark out, maybe they all went to bed. I sure hope so._

I hid in the tall grass, and started sneaking past Treasure Town. There didn't seem to be any pokemon around, I was lucky. When I got out of there, I came to an edge. I found myself looking over the beach I was standing on a few minutes before.

_Now, how to get inside the cliff?_

There were no visible entrances to the cliff, at least none that I could see.

_Is there...a secret entrance? I'm going to have to search for it, aren't I? Ugh._

I began poking around, looking for anywhere that could conceal a hidden entrance. A few minutes into the search, I happened upon a lone bush. I padded over to it, and looked inside. Finally! There it was; a staircase leading down into the hollow space inside of the cliff. I went through the bush, and descended downwards.

_I hope this place is decent enough to say in, at least for the night._

As I got to the bottom step, I found this place to be actually, quite roomy. There was plenty of space, and even a couple nests to sleep in.

_Okay. I can stay here, and let my tail flame recover, for now. Wait, why are there nests already here? That must mean..._

As I realized I was not alone, I heard footsteps outside. Acting quickly, I dashed into the shadows, hiding behind a big crate. It was open at the top, and I quickly peered in out of curiosity. It was full of apples, but I didn't have time to grab one, unfortunately. I swiftly ducked back into the shadows, waiting for the intruder to arrive. He suddenly stumbled into the room, heaving a big sigh.

"Oh!" I gasped, accidentally. His ears perked up, and he looked around the room with his face contorted in confusion.

_He's...he's a Riolu? I was prepared for anything, but this was unexpected... actually, he's kind of cute. Wait, what am I saying? I should be looking for a way to get out of here, not studying other pokemon!_

"Is...is someone...there?" He spoke, his voice laced with fear.

_Hmm, I thought Riolu were supposed to be brave? No matter, everyone has their own personalities I guess. Anyhow, how I am going to get out of here?I don't think leaving is an option; it's way too dark outside._

The Riolu began to search around the room, peeking in corners, overturning blankets, looking for the source of the noise.

_Great. I only have a few moments left before he finds me! What do I do? I'm trapped!_

All I could do was wait. I couldn't run away, there was no place to go. As he searched the room, there was only one place left to look: the crate where I was hiding. As I heard his approaching footsteps, I panicked and tried to shrink into the corner, to no avail. He suddenly peeked behind the crate, and at last his eyes fell upon me. I probably looked horrible, considering what I've been through. I was all covered in dirt from my little adventure, and my fur was all tangled up. I tried to run away from him, but he was faster than me. Before I could get away, his hand grasped tightly around my tail.

_Why isn't he getting burned by my tail fire? Oh, that's right; it's a pitiful little flame._

"What are you..doing here?" He asked me. I couldn't respond, I had nothing to say.

"Um." I decided to be humorous. "Well, for one thing, you're hurting my tail." I don't think he was amused.

"Can't you j-just tell me why you're...here?"

"I don't exactly want to share my life story with a stranger."

"If I tell you my story, will you tell me yours?" He proposed. I was shocked by this; he didn't seem like the type to share his feelings with anyone, much less a stranger. I didn't really want to share my feelings, but it didn't seem like this conversation was going to continue much longer if I didn't.

"Well..." I mumbled, trying to decide. "Can you set me down, first?" He put me on the floor beside him, while I massaged my injured tail. I don't think he was afraid of me running away, at this point. He began to speak, not waiting for my response.  
"It seems like I'm...cursed. I can't even work up the c-courage to join Wigglytuff's G-guild." Riolu revealed, looking particularly sad. "This," he continued, "this, is where I sleep, and where I live until I work up enough courage to join the guild...if that ever happens." At this point I was feeling sorry for him, so I tried to cheer him up a little.

"It's not all that bad, is it?" I asked. "I'm sure you'll work up the courage to join the guild, someday."

"I...I hope so." We sat in silence for a few minutes, and my thoughts were filled with questions. I did not get a chance to ask them, however. "Now that I've told you my background, you need to tell me yours." I heaved a deep sigh.

"Do I...have to?"

"Yes. Why are you so hesitant?" He asked me, his eyes showing his curiosity.

"It's...painful for me." Riolu tilted his head to one side, and I saw a spark of pity in his eyes.

"This morning...I... ran away." As I spoke, I found tears start to well up in my eyes. Riolu scooted a little closer to me, his shoulder touching mine. "I ran," I continued, "away from my...parents, from it all..." Tears were streaming down my face, and I started to shake. Riolu put his arms around me, and I sort of leaned into him. "I mean, I had it...all. My parents, just...n-never paid attention to me..." As I finished I leaned into Riolu fully, and my tears settled down, turning onto short sniffles. We just sat there like that for a while, until I could speak again.

"I'm sorry..."

"What's wrong?" Riolu asked, looking at me with concern.

"I probably freaked you out; you don't even know me..."

"Well, now I do." He smiled at me warmly, and I felt a little better.

"Thanks." I replied. "Hey, do you think I could...I don't know; stay here? Just for a...little bit?"

_I shouldn't burden this pokemon, he obviously has a lot on his mind, but I don't have much of a choice, do I?_

"Sure. You can stay here as long as you like; nobody really knows about this place except me. And you, of course." Riolu said, looking at me. "I see that look on your face, its fine, really."

"If you say so..." I replied, uncertain. Riolu suddenly got up, and walked over to the food crate I discovered earlier. My stomach gurgled, as if to remind me of my lack of food.

"I'm guessing you're pretty hungry, right?" Riolu asked, sitting back down next to me with two large apples in his hand. "Here," He said, handing me an apple. I took it from his hands, and hungrily devoured it, as he patiently munched on his. He noticed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry, that apple isn't going to go anywhere." Riolu joked, chuckling a little.

"Yeah? You try going nine hours without eating, wise guy."

"I was only kidding," He began.

"I know, I know." I replied, joking a little myself. After we finished eating, I groomed myself a little, trying to look a bit more presentable. After I finished, I noticed that Riolu looked like he had something on his mind."What'cha thinking about?" I asked.

"What? Oh, um..." he began; I think I startled him out of his thoughts a bit. "Well, would you, um...like to form a rescue team, with me?" He asked me, suddenly.

_A rescue team? Hmm. It would solve most of my problems, some to think about it. And, it's what I wanted in the first place...heck, why not? Only good things could come out of this, right?_

While I was mulling it over, Riolu just looked at me, anxiously. "Well," I concluded, coming to a decision, "I suppose so, I mean-"

"Yayy!" He suddenly cheered, jumping up, picking me up and swinging me around in his arms. "Ooh, thank you! Thank you!" Riolu cheered once more, his eyes glittering with happiness.

"Okay...I...get...it!" I laughed, as he continued to hug and swing me around.

"Hehe, alright." Riolu giggled, as he put me down on the floor, and sat down next to me. "Oh! Now that we're in a rescue team, we should probably know each other's names, right? My name is Riolu, but you can call me...well, Ryh, I suppose." I giggled a little.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." I laughed, trying to hide my grin.

"Okay Mr. Tough guy, what's your name then?"

"You do know I'm a girl, don't you?" I replied, with a mischievous glint in my eye.

"Oh...aha...eh..." His cheeks were tinged with pink, and that only added to my laughter. "But, seriously," he said, "what _is_your name?"

"Charcoal. Soo, you can call me...uh, Char?" I suggested, bushing a little myself. Now it was his turn to chuckle.

"Alright," he replied, "that's good enough for me." Ryh concluded. "About our rescue team; the guild is still open, actually, but I think it's better if we apply in the morning."

"Yeah, good idea."

"So it's settled, tomorrow we'll begin our partnership!" He told me, cheerfully.

"That sounds good."

"Alright. I'm going to get to bed; we have a long day ahead of us."

"OK, I'm going to bed as well. Goodnight, Ryh."

"Goodnight, Char." And with that, we each climbed into a straw nest, and drifted off into a well-deserved slumber.


	3. Chapter 2

As the sun started to peek above the horizon, I shifted groggily in my nest. I usually didn't wake up this early, so my vision was a little blurry. I slowly sat up, and looked around the room.

"Where..." I wondered, feeling confused.

_Oh, that's right, _I thought. _I'm in the Sharpedo cave, not at my house._

Thinking of my home and family still made me feel sad, so I pushed the thought away. I yawned and stretched for a moment, and then remembered that Ryh's nest was empty.

_Hm, I wonder where he went off to. I hope he didn't forget our alliance, already._

As my thoughts drifted into more about Ryh and less about where he went, I caught myself.

_Here I go again, what's wrong with my brain? I can't start daydreaming now; I've got other things I should be thinking about!_

With my thoughts conflicting, I got up and walked over to the large window which was Sharpedo's mouth. I peered down upon the beach, and noticed an abundance of bubbles. The bubbles were reflecting the ocean, as well as the sun's rays, and it looked beautiful.

_That's pretty, but where are all the bubbles coming from?_

I gazed around for the source and saw a group of Krabbys sitting on a pile of rock, presumably using bubblebeam. As I was staring happily at all the bubbles, I failed to notice Ryh enter the room and come up behind me.

"Pretty, huh?" He said, suddenly. I jumped, and turned around to see him standing right behind me, glancing out at the ocean as well.

"Err, yeah." I replied. I thought I saw a hint of curiosity in his eyes due to my strange response, but I blinked and it was gone.

_Well, that sentence didn't come out like I wanted it to._

"Anyway, where did you go?" I asked. "I woke up earlier, and you weren't here."

"Oh, you know how we have a big crate full of apples over there, in the corner?" He asked me, pointing towards it. I nodded, and he continued. "Well, I grabbed a armful of those apples, and took them to the Kecleon shop to sell, so we'd have at least a little money to start out with at the guild."

"Oh. That's okay, I suppose. We should start getting ready for the climb to the guild, don't you think?" I suggested, glancing at the sun. It was hovering over the horizon line, so we still had plenty of time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryh shiver.

"Um, yeah...we should, get ready." He responded, a bit nervously. I just shrugged, and looked around for things to pack.

_Wait a minute,_ I thought. _We don't even have bags! How are we going to pack supplies without a bag?_

"Hey! How are we supposed to get pack supplies when we don't have anything to put our stuff in?" I questioned, and Ryh just stared at me blankly.

"Pack? We don't have to pack; the guild supplies a backpack, food, _and_water."

"Great, I just made myself look like an idiot, and it's not even noon yet." I muttered, somewhat under my breath.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing..." I replied, staring down at the floor.

"Well, if you say so. Why don't we head out now, like you suggested?"

"Yeah..." I murmured. So, we climbed up the staircase leading out of the cliff, and began walking through Treasure Town. Along the way, I noticed the place was bustling with pokemon, some standing around and chatting, some shopping. There were also a few pokemon working at the shops, as you'd expect. Finally we came to the end of Treasure Town and stopped in front of the three way intersection I was at that previous night. I peered at the directions once more, and looked to the place where the sign said the guild was. I saw it right away; the guild was towering over the small hill it was set on, and there was a steep pathway leading up.

Ryh stared at the building for a few moments with what seemed like fear, and then began climbing up the hill. I followed him, and found it challenging. I suppose you could say I was sort of weak; I hadn't exactly gotten combat training from my parents yet. I don't know if they would've ever given it to me, even if I stayed. Heck, the only moves I know are scratch, and growl. Not exactly my choice of moves, that's for sure.

Ryh noticed me struggling to get up the hill, and stopped to wait. However, I was looking at the ground, so I didn't see him right in front of me.

"Wow, this is tougher than I thought." I muttered. Unfortunately, he heard me.

"Hm, did you say something?" Ryh asked me, a quizzical look on his face.

"Uh, nothing important."

_I have got to stop thinking aloud._

"Whatever you say, heh." My cheeks turned pink after this, but I just let Ryh's remark slide for the sake of my pride; if I had any left. We continued climbing until we arrived at the top of the hill. There was a big grate placed in the floor right outside the entrance to the guild, along with a gate that was currently covering said entrance.

_This place is pretty creepy, actually. Wouldn't they want the guild to look a little more...inviting? They have some really eerie lighting for this place, and there's a giant statue of what I assume is Wigglytuff on top of the building. Strange._

"So," I started, "what is this grate for?"

"Oh...well, you have to stand on the...grate every time you enter the guild, and the pokemon that has...sentry duty looks at your footprint. It's here to...prevent outlaws from coming in." After Ryh finished explaining, he reluctantly stepped onto the grate; now shivering continuously. A loud, booming voice suddenly rang out from below.

"HURRY, get to the SENTRY post, looks like we have some VISITORS." After a few moments of silence, I heard a much quieter voice reply.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" It seems to be a... Riolu! It seems to be a Riolu!"

"OKAY. There's ANOTHER pokemon with you, so get them to STAND on the GRATE." Ryh happily jumped off the grate, gradually stopped shivering, and glanced at me blankly.

"Sheesh Loudred, tone it down; seriously! I'm really far away from you, and it sounds like you're standing right next to me!"

"It's not MY fault I have a LOUD voice, Diglett!" Loudred screeched; it sounded like they were arguing. After a few minutes of them yelling back and forth it suddenly stopped, and the Loudred started to talk again.

"ANYWAY," Loudred began, "STAND on the GRATE, PLEASE." I stepped onto the wooden grate, and it tickled my feet.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected! It seems to be a...um, seems to be a..." Diglett paused, sounding confused.

"WHAT'S the matter, DIGLET? Why can't YOU identify the POKEMON?"

"Well, you don't normally see pokemon like this around these parts..." Diglett replied. "I think... it's a...Charmander. Yeah, It's a Charmander!"

"WHAT do you mean, THINK?" Loudred screeched. "I want DEFINATE answers, PAL!"

_This...is...taking...forever! Hurry up already!_

After some more arguing, the gate opened, and Loudred admitted us inside.

"WELL, you two don't SEEM to be too SHADY, so I guess you may ENTER."

_It's about time!_

Ryh padded over to me, seeming to be glad that we were finally allowed in. "Well, that took long enough..." He muttered, half to himself. With that, we both took a deep breath, and strode into the guild.


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry for not updating in awhile, I was on homework overload! These teachers won't give me a break...plus, with the MEAP and all...yeah, you get the point. Anyway, enjoy chapter 3! :)**

As the big gate lifted, we were finally allowed inside the guild.  
"Well, time to go in.." I nervously told Ryh.

"Y-yeah."

Obviously Ryh was intimated by the guild, giant Wigglytuff and all.

As we entered the guild, It was not what I expected. There was a big hole in the ground; I think leading below, and then there was a board with notes on it nearby, and a ladder leading down the hatch. I walked over to the board and read it out loud.

"Let's see...rule number 1, run away and pay...rule number 2, no loitering, rule 3, have a happy mood always...(I couldn't tell if this was a joke or serious,)..." Plus more and more rules. I think there were...um, 12 or so?

"Well, now that all the rules are down," Ryh hinted, as he began walking toward the entrance.

"Yeah, I guess we should go in." I replied.

We climbed down the hatch, pondering what was inside. As we climbed down the ladder, my thoughts were racing, coming up with dumb ideas of what was below.

(Hmm, I wonder..) (What's under there? What awaits us?)

Man, this is a long climb down – well, at least it seemed to be.

"M-man, this i-is a long climb d-down.." Ryh was scared again..I wonder why? Well, who cares.

"Um, yeah, I know, it is."

"So...um," I didn't know what to say. Why did I hate to make a fool of myself? "Uh..."

After the torcher that is climbing down the long ladder of Wigglytuff's guild, well, we finally reached the bottom.

"We're finally here!" I cheered with excitement, because the worst (well, what seemed to be), was finally over.

"Yup..." Ryh drifted off in his own, weird, random thoughts. Not that I know what his thoughts are, just... I think... that they are, um, random... _Well,_there go _my _random thoughts...

As we passed the first floor, there were a lot of pokemon on the floor; and two big boards that seemed to be attached to the wall. One had letters attached to it, and the other one had pictures of pokemon..um, is it just me or is that kinda weird for a guild? Unless they are outlaws or something...

Ugh, enough of my pointless ranting..

On the main floor, there were some pokemon there, but not as much as the first floor. There were two hallways, and a what seemed to be a shop, and a big door leading to a chamber. Presumably the guild master's chamber? A bird-like pokemon sort of, floated over to us, and he was just about to say talk to us.

"Why, hello there," The bird pokemon spoke cheerily. "You must be here to sell some DIRTY ROTTEN PRODUCT! WELL, WE DON'T ACCEPT SALESMEN, SO GET OUT!"

Talk about being rude...

"Uh, um, well, we aren't salesmen...or saleswomen for that matter." I stood tall when I said that for some reason of pride, I guess.

"Oh..." Clearly I saw that I threw this bird off track."Well, I apologize for my rude yelling, but," He just had to find what to say."Well, what are you here for then?

This time Ryh spoke. "Well, um, we're here for the, um, guild offer."

"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so? Well then, right this way please! By the way, I'm Chatot! I'm the guild master's right side pokemon!" Chatot cheered, rather proudly. He motioned us over to a large door, like I said, probably leading to the guild master's chamber.

"Right hand pokemon?" I asked as walking alongside Chatot. "You mean like sidekick?"

"In a way, yes. I'm the guild master's helper, I suppose!"

"Oh, right." I said, continuing my walking, with Ryh in back of me. Boy, he is awfully quiet for a Riolu.

"Well, here we are! Now, now, be mindful, the guild master can be, um, rather odd, at times.."

"YOOM TAH!" Someone screamed, followed by loud rumbling.

"What is going on!" Chatot demanded.

"Oh, oh, don't worry! I was just looking for my perfect apple, friends! Oh! Found itt!"

Chatot was looking harshly at the strange pokemon, (Wait, wasn't this Wigglytuff? I saw a statue at the door at the guild of him.) and then at the floor, thinking he'd have to clean this all up after. I snickered a bit at this thought, and Chatot turned to me and stared.

"What, what, you think this is funny? Who has to clean this up? Who? Me! I have to! It's not funny!"

I just laughed, I didn't ask for a lecture. Jeez.

"Uh," I said, not knowing what to say.

Shelves littered the floor, along with books, and other objects I wouldn't exactly expect to see.

"Anyway," I asked. "Chatot, who is this pokemon?"

"Wel-" Chatot started, but got interrupted.

"Friends! I'm the guild master! Wigglytuff's the name, friends, friends! Wigglytuff was clutching at the perfect apple in his hands, starting to drool. This was one odd guild master...

"Well," Chatot began to tell us. "Anyway, you need to register your team, and you also need a team name."

"Ohh, Chatot! You didn't tell me we have a new team!"

"Um, yes, these are the new members of the guild."

"Yay! Friends, friends!"

"Erm, well, have you decided your team name?"

I turned to Ryh and began discussing it with him.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Um," "Hmm." "Want to do a combination of our types? Like fight-fire, or something?"

"Hmmm. Well, I'm not sure. Let me think first."

Ryh stepped away a little, at the notion of this. Thinking space, I guess.

\(Hmm, what would be a good team name? I began thinking of the events of the day, trying to pull out words that I could use.) (Bush? What? Where did that come from? No way!) (Uh, rocky? Nah.) (Fire, flame, charcoal, heat,) (Wait a second! Charcoal! Team Charcoal! Yeah, I guess that could suffice.)

I nodded toward Ryh, and he walked over to me.

"So, what did you think of?"

"Well, what do you think of Team Charcoal?"

"Well, um," "It's sort of, um, centered about, um, you. I just think, I just think! Don't get mad.."

"Well, yes, I guess It's sort of about me, but I don't think you can come up with something better, can you?"

"Well...um, no."

"That's what I thought. So Charcoal it is then."

I turned toward Chatot, who was impatiently awaiting my decision.

"Well?" He said to me.

"I suppose, our name is going to be Rescue Team Charcoal."

"Ok, I'll record it, and enter it into the um, recording log."

Chatot turned to Wigglytuff, and Wigglytuff began entering something into a book. I assumed it was the records.

"YOOM TAH!" "Ok friends, you are now an official rescue team! Congratulations! You get...nothing!" "Ha ha, just kidding friends! You get this special box full of goodies inside! Yay!"

I sighed under my breath, Ryh heard it, and chuckled to himself.

Wigglytuff pulled out a medium-size box, and opened it. He pushed it over to us, and began to explain all the things inside.

"Well, friends! So there's a two bows inside here! They are very rare, and special! I hope they will be useful in your adventures!"

I picked up a orange bow (hey, it matches my color!), and put it on my chest, and began to adjust it. This bow was cool. Well, at least to me.

Ryh picked up a blue bow (more color matching..), and also put it on his chest.

"Heh heh, we look like secret agents or something." I told Ryh, afterwords feeling foolish.

"Um, yeah, I guess so.." Ryh said back to me, red appearing on his cheeks and a bit on mine. Had I forgotten we were in the guild master's room?

"Well, you can go adjust your bows, and yeah, stuff like that." Chatot told us, obviously wanting us out.

"Sure." I replied, beginning to walk out with Ryh.

"Dinner will begin in an hour." Chatot told us.

"Ok." I said back.

"Ok Ryh, let's go." He nodded toward me, following out.

"Oh, one more thing! You're room is to the right of here, at the end of the hall." Chatot said.

"Oh, thanks." I said back to Chatot.

We began walking back to our room, my stomach growling at me. I heard Ryh's stomach, and giggled to myself, still walking.

At dinner, the hall smelled of food. Well obviously. My stomach growled louder this time.

"Mmm, this food smells so good!I wonder what's for-"

At that moment, a big platter of berries were set down in the middle of the table. They looked good.

"Oh."

Plates were handed out across the table. There were about 10 pokemon sitting at the table? Maybe more, maybe less?

After a little prayer for the new recruits (Me and Ryh), we began to eat. And boy, was the food good.

I haven't had food this good in- I stopped myself before I thought of that any longer. Anyways, the food way good.

I didn't' notice I was scarfing all the food down, like Ryh. But, the other pokemon weren't scarfing down it, so I guess they were used to it or something.

After dinner, Chatot announced that we will begin our first day of work starting tomorrow. Me and Ryh retreated back to our room, with the other pokemon soon doing so.

"Well, Ryh, what do you think will happen tomorrow?" Ryh yawned, and I laughed a little.

"Um, I think we will do a job, or something? What do you think?

"Yeah. I think we will...Uh, like you said. Do some missions, or something like that."

"Yeah,"

I was getting sleepy. Ryh lied down for the night, talking to me while doing so.

"Well, I'm glad we have a place to stay. And I'm glad that we – I mean I – finally got into the guild."

"Yeah," I was getting too tired for big word responses.

"I guess you are tired huh? Well, me too. Goodnight, Char."

"Yup," I replied. "Goodnight."

As Ryh fell asleep, I wondered what would be in store for us tomorrow in my thoughts, before drifting off myself.

(I wonder what adventures will await us tomorrow? Maybe jobs? Well whatever it is, I'm sure it will be exciting and fun. I'm getting sleepy. I should go to sleep too.)

And with that thought, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

**Well, there you go! It was awhile before I actually got motivated to do this (xD), and I know you may or may not have been waiting for it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and more is coming soon! :)**

**-Chimchar458**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry, I've been really lazy for the couple of weeks, I'm not sure why...Anyway, enjoy chapter four!**

I was awoken with a long, ringing voice in my ears, slightly pleading for it to stop in my head. I could barely think with that loud ringing in my ears. Who was making that horrible noise? What a wonderful way to start the day...

"RISE AND SHINE! IT'S MORNING – YOUR FIRST DAY ON THE JOB. I'M NOT ABOUT TO GET IN TROUBLE BECAUSE YOU LAZY, SLOUCHING NEWCOMERS DECIDED TO SLEEP IN! SO GET UP AND GET IN GEAR!"

Sheesh, I was going to get out of bed, you didn't have to yell at me!

"Ugh.." I muttered in the heat of the sun beating down on my back through the window. What day is it?

Oh! Right, we signed up for the, uh, guild! Oh no! We're late! We're late!

I scurried over to Ryh, who was somehow still asleep, despite the loud yelling we heard just a few minutes ago.

"Hurry up lazy head! Get up, we're late! Our first day on the job, and we're late! What a great impression..."

"Just a few more minutes," Ryh told me, unknowingly. I guess he was still in dreamland.

"No! We have to get up now! Now!" I shook Ryh violently, back and forth, until he sat up in his cheap, straw bed.

"Where," "Where are we?" Ryh blinked the sleep out of his eyes, until a few seconds late, reality came crashing down on him.

"Oh no! We're late!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you! Lazy head!" Ryh slapped his forehead, got up, then stumbled over to our equipment, and handed me the bag and my badge. As he adjusted his scarf around his neck, I put the badge in my pocket, and put on the bow. I already felt more powerful somehow right after I put it on.

"Wow, this thing actually works! Hm, I didn't know that." Ryh also put his on, and I could see a look of confidence in his eyes.

"Cool," He said. "It does seem to work."

"Ok, hurry! Let's go!" We rushed into the main, wide open area which was the bottom floor, pretty much the main floor of the guild.

As we entered the room, the guild master peered at us, noticing we were late.

"Got up late, huh?" Wigglytuff chuckled to himself as he began to go over today's work, and recite the morning cheer.

"Number one, run away and pay! Number two, don't shirk work! Number three, and last of all, smiles go for miles!" The pokemon repeated after him, then he announced today's work. After, all the pokemon scattered, getting ready to start their jobs. As Ryh and I wondered around, Chatot noticed us, and came over to instruct us.

"Ok new recruits, today I will be giving you a tour of the facilities, and just letting you get familiar with the guild."

"Ok, I guess." I murmured back to Chatot.

"Let's go then, shall we?" He said in a cheery tone, as Chatot began walking us out of the room.

At the jobs bulletin, Chatot went over what we were supposed to do, and just about everything else. (Borrrinnggg...) I said in my thoughts. (How much more boring could this get? I know what to do already).

After that boring lecture, we got a tour of treasure town, and the surrounding area. After that, well, we ate then went to bed. (What a boring day...I wish we could've explored some. Oh well, I guess we will tomorrow).

This morning, Ryh literally had to drag me out of bed. As he was doing so, he just had to have a goofy grin on his face, making me as embarrassed as possible. I covered my eyes with my hands, hoping other pokemon wouldn't see me. Too late. A few pokemon chuckled and giggled as I went by, but other then that, well, yeah...

"Wow sleepyhead, I didn't think I'd have to do this." Ryh told me.  
"Oh, shut up." I told him back, that familiar red appearing on my cheeks. After that big scene, we proceeded to the big guild area once again, but this time we weren't late. A few of the other female pokemon around me couldn't help but noticing the red on my face, and started to giggle. I gave them a look back, in a goofy face. I was trying to hide a smile, but obviously it wasn't working...

Anyway, after we gave the morning chant again, we went to our stations. Chatot came over again, and this time we actually had a job to do. (Finally)!

"You two," Chatot told us in a once again cheery voice. "I would like you to explore today! Isn't that exciting?"

"Yes, Chatot!" Ryh said back to Chatot like an officer. He had a shine of happiness in his eyes.

"Yes sir?" I told Chatot, playing his little game. Chatot chuckled in response, then he motioned us up the ladders leading up to the higher floors of the guild. We followed him up, once again.

"Like I said, you two will be preforming a rescue today!" Chatot told us again. We arrived at the two big bulletin boards, only to find it changed.

"What happened Chatot? Why are the boards different?" I asked him.

"You see, these boards are set on revolving panels. When we want to add new jobs, which is Dugtro's duty, then we flip the panels, and Dugtro updates the boards." Chatot explained.

"Oh, that's pretty cool." I responded.

"Yes,you might say that." A flicker of a smile ran across his blue, feathered face.

"Well, back to the jobs. Anyway, you will be preforming a job today, and you get to choose which!"

**And...I'm going to leave it at this...yes, I know I'm evil. xD wait for chapter five, and I'll try to get it in soon. :D**

**-Chimchar458**


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm pretty sure you are tired of my ranting, but I will apologize anyway. I am very sorry for my inactivity, in writing both of my stories. I recently got a new laptop, and I was half-way done with typing "My Only Hope." I lost all of the progress, and I got really un-motivated, and for a while I was too busy and didn't want to continue. It wasn't extreme, but I was sort of mad. Anyway, you are probably as tired as my apologies as I am, so here is the story. I hope you enjoy it.**

"Today you are going on your first job, and you get to choose which!" Chatot yelled with glee. Wow. I couldn't believe I was finally going on my first job! I'm really looking forward to this.

"Great!" I responded cheerfully. My partner, Ryh, was standing right next to me. I could almost feel his excitement. He looked as excited as I was.

"Yeah! Awesome!" He yelled next to me. "I'm really looking forward to this!" Well, he stole the words right out of my mouth.

"Well, anyway, time to get down to business. Today, you guys, team Charcoal, will be exploring Sunshine cave. Rumor has it, that it is extremely bright. You might want to keep that in mind while preparations are being made." Chatot explained.

"OK Chatot, thanks for the warning." I thanked him, and then turned to Ryh, facing him. "So, we should get ready, then head on out. Chatot said it is very bright, so we should bring something that will help us along the way, so we don't get blinded."

"Right." Ryh responded. "Should we head out to Kecleon market, then?" Ryh suggested.

"Yep, we should." I responded. "Anyway, enough of this rambling. Let's get a move on!" I shouted, heartily. I could see the gleam in Ryh's eye. He was excited and ready for exploring! I was too. The air was full of moisture as I went up to the next floor. And the next, and the next…

Once I got outside, I took in a huge breath of fresh air. It felt great being outside again. The air was fresh and alive, much unlike the stiff air in the guild. Once I stretched with Ryh, we headed off into Treasure Town. Come to think, I've never actually been in Treasure Town before. Well, I have, but I didn't get a tour or anything like that.

"Hey Ryh," I asked politely. "Do you think you could show me around Treasure Town a bit? I've never been there, actually."

"Oh! Well, um..Sure!" He replied shyly. "Just let us get there, first." We chuckled a bit at that comment. The weather was very bright, as if the whole world wanted us to have a great day of preparing and exploring. After we got there, the area was bustling with life. There were shops everywhere, people, flowers, and much more. It was great! I liked this place already.

"First off," Ryh started. "This is the Kecleon market. This is where we get all of our goods, for exploring." He explained. "We will come back to this shop later, because they should have something that can help us on our adventures. For example, they should have an item that will help us with the light problem."

"OK, I understand." I nodded.

"Next, is Kangaskhan's storage. This is where we can store all the items we find on our explorations. If you don't want to lose it, then you should store it in here before you go on an exploration." Ryh told me gleefully. "Last, is Duskull's bank. There is where we can store all our poke. Like I told you before, if you don't want to lose it, try and store it here before you go on an adventure. It isn't really last, but we won't need all the other buildings for quite a bit. So, that wraps up treasure town in a nutshell."

"Thanks," I replied. "So I guess we should go back to Kecleon's Market, for our supplies."

"Right," Ryh told me once again. So, Ryh and I traveled the short distance back to Kecleon's Market. Once we arrived, there were two Kecleon standing there, of course.

"Excuse me," I said as politely as I could. "Would you happen to have some item that could help us? We need something that can dim the lights. I mean, making it less bright."

"Well, you pretty nice young lady, it just so happens that we do!" I blushed at that last comment a little. "In fact, this is the last one. Say, you haven't been here before, have you? I've never seen you here." The green Kecleon spoke.

"Neither have I!" The other Kecleon appeared from the back of the shop. 'You seem very new here, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well," I spoke nervously. "I actually am new here. I just, err, moved in, from, uh-"

"Sunshine Mountains!" Ryh interrupted. "She just moved in from Sunshine Mountains."

"Oh! Well, if I may, I welcome you to our fine shop, and our fine Town. I'm sure you will find what you are looking for, in our little shop here." The green Kecleon spoke.

"Well," I replied. "Thanks! But I have to get there soon, so can I please have the item now?"

"Yes, yes, of course! Of course you can have the item. I feel ashamed for having rambling on for so long! Once again, I'm very sorry. Here is your item now. That'll be 270 Poke, please." Ryh started to pull out his Poke from his wallet. He counted out 270, and then placed it on the counter for the Kecleon to take.

"Here you go," Ryh told the Kecleon.

"Thank you very much," The Kecleon replied at the same time. "And here is your item." The green Kecleon said as he handed us the sphere over the counter. "And thank you, for your time." Ryh and I walked off without saying goodbye, and started walking back to the guild. As we were walking back to the guild, I looked at the blue orb in my hands. This thing was supposed to make the room dimmer? It didn't look like much.

"I wonder what this thing is…" I muttered to myself. Ryh heard me, and started to explain. "Well, this orb will help us, as you know. It will make the room dimmer, so we can see. It's very mysterious. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but like I said, it makes the room dimmer so we can see."

"OK, thanks." I told Ryh. "We should get back to the guild now. "And by the way," I commented abruptly. "Erm, thanks for helping me out back there." I told Ryh, that warm pinkish hue returning to my cheeks once again, as if to embarrass me.

"Well, um, yeah, heh, no problem..." Ryh told me back softly. "After all, I…um, didn't want to, erm, go through the, um, story…" Ryh said even softer.

"Well, yeah…thanks anyway, though…" I praised back. "Anyway," I warned in a brighter tone. "Like I told you before, we should, um, get back to the guild."

"Right." Ryh suddenly had a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hey!" He called out. "Race you there! Last one there is a doom seed!" Ryh sang cheerfully.

"There's no way you can beat me!" I called back, as I raced off to the guild to catch up with him. "Good luck getting there before me…"

After our little race, we returned back to the guild panting and wheezing, all tired and out of breath. After we rested for a bit (much to Chatot's dismay), Chatot began to check everything.

"OK, it seems that you have made all the correct preparations," Chatot looked everything over with a keen eye. "OK, you will head out tomorrow. It will be much easier to see in the dawn, so therefor, it is easier to travel in the day. Get a goodnight's rest tonight. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"OK Chatot," I replied. "Thanks." I turned to Ryh once again. He was still the excited Riolu he was this morning. I could still see that glint in his eye. And all the same, I was as excited as he was, still. For some reason, we were very quiet as we ate, and prepared for bed, and the long day tomorrow. Maybe it was nervousness, or something else. I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that I was excited.

As we were in our room, I was almost into bed. I wasn't sure I would be able to sleep, but I was almost in bed. So was Ryh.

"So Ryh," I said to him in a quiet tone. "Are we all good? I mean, are you ready for tomorrow? It's going to be fun." I just rambled, and I didn't know why. Why do I get all nervous around Ryh? Why do I mumble all the time when I'm around him? Well, I guess these aren't questions to ask now. Maybe I will get the answers later.

"Yep," Ryh told me. He seemed all cool and confident, and I secretly admired him. I mean, at times, he could be scared, but this was one time that he was confident. Of course, I would never tell him that. "How about you?" Ryh asked me. I barely noticed his question, because I was in la-la land. Well, at least my la-la land.

"Yep, I'm good too." I responded back to him. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay." Ugh, why did I just say that?

"Uh, yeah, I will too I guess. Night."

"Night," I responded.

Even though I thought I wouldn't be getting to sleep, I just fell into a deep slumber. I thought I was going to be worrying about the trip tomorrow, but my mind was blank as I drifted off into a deep sleep.

**As you know, that was the end of Chapter 5. I promise that I will try to do my best to get the next chapter in soon (that also goes with The New Kid, I will try to write that tomorrow, if I have time), and I will see you then!**

**-Chimchar458**


	7. Chapter 6

**Here we go again. I haven't updated in a month, and I can't say why. Is it because of laziness, I don't know. Well, I know I've said it a thousand times before, but I'm sorry. To all of you who are still reading my story, thanks, because I know I've been a pain. For those of you who quit; I don't blame you. Thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

After several long days, I still felt that warm sunny breeze streaming into the window. It was very sunny outside, and the light was flooding the room. The sun was even giving my tummy a treat. Yep, the sun was shining right on it. This was a great way to start the morning, until…

"GET UP YOU LAZY MORONS! YOU'VE GOT WORK TO DO!" That familiar voice yelled, right in my ear. Heck, I bet he didn't even have to go around all the rooms; he probably just wakes everyone up in one single screech.

Ugh. Why does he have to ruin every morning?

"I MEAN IT! GET UP RIGHT NOW OF YOU'LL BE LATE AGAIN!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I barely managed out of my mouth, my ears ringing in pain.

"WELL YOU BETTER GET UP! Slackers…"

"I heard that!" I yelled back. Hasn't Ryh gotten up yet? I thought the yelling would wake him up. Come to think of it, he is usually the first one up. I glanced over like I didn't care, but I was actually kind of worried. Over a stupid topic, I know.

"Hey Ryh," I whispered over to him. Man, I hated to disturb him, because he looked so peaceful. Unfortunately, we had a mission to do, so I had no choice.

"Hey Ryh!" I whispered, a little bit louder this time. Over in the corner, I heard a bit of moaning and groaning. I hoped it was him getting up. Well, at least trying to.

"Ugh, wha…is..it?" He responded in a sleepy state. I giggled a bit. I could understand him pretty well actually, but I guess that's what being around someone 24/7 does.

"It's time to get up, sleepyhead!" I giggled some more. "Remember? Our mission? Today..?

"Oh No!" He gasped, fully sitting up in a hurry. "Oh No!" He repeated once again. "I hope you're not late because of…me!" He gasped again.

I giggled some more. Wow, I just couldn't stop giggling. "No, we're fine. We've just got to go a little faster than normal getting ready, that's all."

"Yeah, because you just take WAY too much time getting ready." Ryh complained mischievously, while grinning and chuckling at the same time.

"Ugh, I'm not going to even go there." Looks like Ryh is back to normal. "Anyway," I glared over at Ryh for holding us up. "We need to get ready for our mission. You still remember, right?" I asked again.

"Oh yeah!" Ryh screamed. "I remember! The mission!"

"Yeah, yeah, not so loud!" I shouted back, covering my ears.

"Sorry," Ryh apologized back to me in his normal voice. "Well, enough of this. We need to get ready."

"Yes, we do." I told him back. "OK, let's get all the stuff."

After getting everything, we ran over the checklist.

"Let's see…" I told to Ryh, who was sorting through the pile of items we gathered in the corner. Of course, we already ran through the morning speech, so we had all the time we needed. Well, not all the time, but you get what I mean. I had a checklist that I could check off. I could call off items, and Ryh would say check. "Apples!" I called out.

"Check!" Ryh called back.

"Important items and money are stored away, right?"

"Right!"

"Seeds and spikes!"

"Check and check!" Ryh called back cheerfully.

"And last but not least, the Dimming Orb!"

"And…check!"

"Well okay, that's all of it." I told Ryh.

"OK, good. Now, we just have to make it to the dungeon." We stored all the items and money yesterday. We also made some other little preparations. "Well, we better go tell Chatot."

"Okay, good. " Chatot praised. "Now, you're all set!" Chatot cheered. "So, I suppose you will want to be heading off soon?"

"Definitely!" Ryh and I cheered at the same time.

"Great!" Chatot exclaimed. "Well, you'll set off in a little bit, then. Good luck!"

"Thanks! Also, have fun doing stuff at…um, the guild."

"Yeah, it's no big deal, I suppose. I'll just tend to the guild duties." For a second there, I thought I saw Chatot wince. Maybe it was just my imagination…

"Well, Chatot never told us where it actually is…" I muttered.

"Yeah he did!" Ryh told me. He brought out a map, and pointed. "Chatot told us it was here." He pointed between a cavern and a mountain range. "Right here. It's called Blinding Cave. Like Chatot said before, it's extremely bright. Good thing we brought this Orb. "

Ugh, I feel so stupid for not remembering. "Yeah." I agreed. Did I mention we are walking towards there right now?

"Well, we should be there soon." Ryh stated. As we were walking, I noticed the cool, gentle breeze, brushing against my face. I also noticed Ryh staring at me, which was kind of odd. And embarrassing. I coughed, and he seemed to notice and look away.

After a bit, we finally arrived at the cave. I wasn't even in there, and I could see the bright light illuminating the cave and running out through the entrance. Ryh turned to me, and began to talk.

"Ready?" He asked me. One simple word.

"Yup. How about you?" I returned.

"Yup. Let's go!"

**There you go! I've been writing for two whole hours, and the story still seems short. Sorry about that. Anyway, I noticed I used a whole bunch of those stars (***). Well, I hoped you like the new chapter, and "The New Kid" is coming out tomorrow!**


	8. Chapter 7

Finally, it was time to explore. With Ryh by my side, we entered the cave.  
_  
Wow, it is really bright in here. Where does all this light come from, anyway?_

"How about we use that orb now? I just walked in and I already feel like I'm blind!" I spoke, as I fumbled around with my eyes shut.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Let me just get out the o- oh, great."

I heard a clink as the orb dropped to the ground.

"Uh, you didn't break that, did you?"

"No, I don't think so," Ryh spoke, with a hint of uncertainty. "Hm. Where did it go?"

_Fantastic. Only a couple minutes into the cave, and we're already screwing up. How are we going to find the orb fumbling around with our eyes shut?_

"Here, let me see if I can use my tail to block out some of the light." With my tail curled up to block some of the light, I tried opening my eyes and was rewarded with pain. "Nope, didn't work."

"I guess our only option is to crawl around until we find it." And with that, Ryh got down on all fours and started to crawl around. I did the same, the rocky pebbles on the floor hurting my paws. After we bumped into each other a couple times, Ryh finally found the orb.

"Got it! Good thing it didn't break, huh?"

"If you drop it again, that will be the least of our problems. Hurry up and use it!"

"Right. Here goes!" Ryh thrust the orb into the air, making the cave a lot dimmer than it was before. With this action, the orb mysteriously disappeared from his hand.

_That's weird, where did it go?_

"I didn't know those orbs disappear. Too bad we can't reuse it, but at least we can see now. Now we can start exploring!"

Now that I could see, I began to notice that this cave was actually, really pretty. There were pools of water everywhere, with water from the ceiling landing into the puddles with a splash.

"This cave is pretty, but there are probably going to be a lot of water types here."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Ryh said, glancing at me.

"What? Never mind, let's get exploring!"

Finally, we began traversing the cave. I kept stepping on all those little pebbles, and they pricked my feet. After a few minutes of silent walking, we encountered our first pokemon, which was a Mudkip.

"Ugh, a Mudkip. I guess it's a good thing I don't know any fire type moves; I can just scratch it to death." As I stepped forward to attack, Ryh put his arm out, blocking my path.

"How about I do most of the attacks? I'm a little stronger than you."

"Fine, but don't think this means I can't do anything." Ryh stepped in front of me, using quick attack on the Mudkip. Afterwards, the Mudkip retaliated with a tackle. Ryh used quick attack again, defeating the Mudkip.

"Most of the attacks? You did all of them! Let me attack at least a little bit next time, please."

"Sorry, I didn't really notice. I'll be sure to remember next time, okay?"

"Alright. Let's push forward." After more walking and a few more pokemon battles, we came to the end of the cave. Everything was colored a dark blue and the ground was smooth, unlike the rest of the cave, which was brown and rocky. There was a waterfall in the middle of the cave, with a big gem set in the wall beside it.

"Ooh! There's a shiny gem! I bet the guild would be pleased if we took this back." Ryh chuckled, and muttered something about women and shiny things.

"Hey! Don't be sexist, you!" I scolded, playfully poking him in the chest.

"You sure do have Noctowl-like hearing, don't you.." Ryh muttered, once more. "You know, it's not nice to imitate people."

"What? Who am I imitating? Oh!" I realized, starting to giggle.

_My cheeks feel like they're burning again. At least my daily make a fool of yourself quota is filled._

As I recovered, I turned to the big gem, which was sticking out of the wall. Did I mention it was red?

"We should work on getting this out of here, with all this fooling around the guild probably thinks we're dead."

"Hmm. Well, you can't use ember yet, so why don't you try melting the rock with your tail flame?"

"OK, it's worth a shot," I responded, walking backwards toward the gem. It took a few minutes, but a few water drops started to appear on the rock. "I hope this doesn't take all day." I complained, sitting down. Ryh was silent as he walked over and sat down next to me. As I was looking back at the gem, I caught a few of Ryh's glances out of the corner of my eye. Ignoring this for now, I started to poke at the floor, feeling bored. Even though this part of the cave floor was smooth, it still wasn't very malleable.

_If only I had ember..._

After a few more minutes of mindless boredom, I checked the gem and noticed it was starting to slide down.

"Look at that; the gem is starting to slide. We might be able to pull it out."

"Let's try to." Ryh and I lined up on opposite sides of the gem, and put our paws on it. I managed to get hold of an edge; we might actually be able to pull it out.

"I'm ready, are you?" I noticed Ryh got hold of an edge as well.

"Yep, I'm ready, let's try this. Three, two, one..." As I heard the final number, I pulled at the gem with all my strength. I soon heard a few clinks as the cave walls started to release it's grip on the gem. Suddenly, it popped out of the wall and landed on us with a thud. I got out from underneath the gem, but managed to get dirt all over myself in the process.

"We did it!" I cheered. "Too bad I got all muddy in the process..." As I complained, I noticed Ryh getting up and brushing some of the dirt on him off with his hands.

"Wait a minute, I know how to get clean, we can use the waterfall!"

"I thought you'd be more reluctant to get wet," Ryh pondered, "considering your type and all. Wait, won't your tail flame go out?"

"It's okay, I'll just keep my tail out of the water." I proposed, as I strode over to the waterfall and got underneath it. Immediately after I did so, it felt like a giant hand was pressing down on my head.

_This waterfall sure is fierce! Oh, there goes Ryh with his glances again. Anyway, I should be clean now. Clean enough, anyway._

As I padded out, a small puddle of water started to form around me.

_Brr, now I'm cold! Nothing to dry on, so..._

I started to shake myself to get all the water out, unaware that Ryh was getting clean as well.

"Hey, you're getting water all over me!" Ryh told me.

"I'm doing you a favor, you're stinky anyway!" I replied, a mischievous glint in my eye. Ryh just looked at me blankly, saying nothing.

"Now that we're all clean," I stated, feeling amused, "what do you say we get out of here?"

"Sounds good to me. Wait, are we going to have to go through the whole cave again?" Ryh pointed out, picking up the gem in his paws.

"Ugh, I think so. There doesn't appear to be an exit anywhere around here."

"We should get a move on, then." So we set off once more, back through the twisting tunnels that this cave possessed. We met a few more pokemon along the way, but they weren't too much of a bother. The gem however, was, so we took turns carrying it. Finally, we arrived back at the entrance. My feet were yelling at me, and my arms were starting to ache from carrying our precious jewel.

"Good thing this place isn't _too_far from the guild, the sun is starting to set." Ryh said, almost like he read my mind. Or my foot's mind, anyway.

"I'm surprised the sun is setting just now, it felt like we were inside that cave forever. Let's hurry and get back, maybe we'll arrive in time for dinner."

* * *

As we walked up to the guild, we had to stand on the grate once more. Luckily, it wasn't too long of a wait – our footprints were easily recognized. We climbed down the ladder to the ground floor, which proved a challenge while holding the gem, but we made it just in time. Ryh placed it down on the ground while I heard a bell ring in the distance, and Chimecho's familiar voice rang out.

"Okay everyone, time to eat!" Chimecho sang. Everyone rushed past Ryh and I towards the dining room, not even noticing our return. However, Chatot happened to notice us, and hopped forward.

"Oh, I see you're back from your little adventure. You two took a while, but it looks to me as if it was worth it." Chatot said, noticing the gem. He hopped towards it, inspecting it closely. "This looks like a excellent find, nice work!" He praised, and I felt a surge of pride. "You two better go off and eat, while I take this gem off to the guild master for closer inspection." He hopped off towards the guild master's room, and suddenly my stomach roared at me. Ryh stifled a snicker.

_Hm. I must be really hungry; I haven't eaten since we left for the cave._

"Let's go eat!" I suggested, scurrying off towards the dining room.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ryh cried out, running after me.

* * *

After everyone had eaten, Chatot informed us the guild master would conference with us tomorrow, which was fine by me. I was extremely tired; I felt like sleeping for an eternity.

"I'm going to go to bed, are you coming?" I asked Ryh, drowsily.

"Yep, I'll be there in a minute." I stumbled over to our bedroom, and settled down into my nest, made of straw. Surprisingly, it was actually pretty conformable. Well, anything would feel comfortable at this point. Ryh entered the room a few minutes after, and curled up into his nest, facing me.

"Today was really exciting, wasn't it?" Ryh asked me, gleefully.

"I have to say, it was." I admitted. "I'm glad I joined; thanks for asking me. If you hadn't, I have no idea where I'd be right now." I smiled at him, and his cheeks turned a rosy hue.

"Yeah... and just think, this is only our first dungeon!" Ryh told me, excitedly. I yawned, while he just looked at me gently.

"I'm about to fall asleep, I hope tomorrow will be as fun."

"Me too, sweet dreams." Ryh whispered, as I drifted into a pleasant sleep.


End file.
